Cerebral Implosion

Disclaimer: I'd likely not be able to type if my cranium had actually imploded. Fun imagery, though, no?

I'm feeling a little more overcooked than usual at present, what with the Post-Passover Psychosis setting in and this highly charged time of year in these parts. Last week was Holocaust Rememberance Day, and coming up we've got Memorial Day (I wrote about it last year) followed immediately by Independence Day, ergo barbeques and booze celebrating the birth of the State. And so my circuits, sensitive at the best of times, are just about primed to shut down: Not for nothing is this blog called "Slightly Mad" - this is traditionally the season wherein I find it most difficult to flit between the two "sides" of Jerusalem, and this year it feels more of a challenge than ever. What with both Israeli and Palestinian societies so very politically overloaded at present, every terror attack, IDF incursion, individual expression of nationalism and of course all accompanying reportage, appears to be more weighted than in previous years. Or maybe it's just me. But I don't think so. There's too much to deal with, and I don't seem to have enough brainspace.

More than once, Israeli and immigrant friends have remarked to me, "Well, no wonder you get frustrated and depressed about the state of things- you should do something else for a living, you'd be happier." While I doubt there is much truth in this contention, I do wonder as to how much of our society functions in total denial as to the way the land lies: I read other local blogs and often find myself despairing that there are so many who inhabit this area seemingly in a state of selective vision or even blinkered self-centeredness, and can't quite believe that we live in the same region. (I'm not going to highlight specific blogs here, but my blogroll has some good examples) Important issues regarding the harsh realities of Jews and Arabs sharing this land- ones that I am forced to confront on a daily basis- appear to not be an ingredient of most peoples' existence. And when we are made to take stock by dint of these days of mourning and celebration, for me it is increasingly impossible to ignore the bigger picture. Which isn't pretty, frankly: Some days it is enough to make me want to get on a plane and start a new life on the Cook Islands. But I'm not going to. There's still plenty about my life here that I value and enjoy: It is just hard to keep track of that in this week of grandstanding. Just as well then, that getting wasted has been incorporated within the modern celebratory traditions!

A Palestinian friend suggested that maybe we should set up a support group, for all those on either side who try to remain moderate and objective and keep hold of their sanity simultaneously. Now I think about it, it isn't a bad idea at all- we could probably even get some EU Funding! Well, that will be something to contemplate while nursing the hangover on the morning of Israel's 58th Birthday.